The present invention relates generally to UV water treatment systems and specifically to such systems that use UV lamps disposed within quartz sleeves, the assemblies being mounted in reactors.
In one embodiment, the present invention comprises clamp ring 1, wedge shaped seal face 2, flange 12, flange mounting holes 11, seal 3, quartz sleeve 4, clamp ring mounting recess 5, reactor 6, lamp 9, and reactor cavity 10.
One novel aspect of the present invention it is the wedge shaped seal face which ensures the seal is spread across the quartz sleeve and that the seal is only deformed not crushed, thus reducing the stress on the quartz sleeve (aka quartz glass). Using a bulbous, or exaggerated, seal (aka o-ring) allows a greater degree of deformity in the seal as it is compressed by the clamp ring. The shape of the wedge also gives the advantage that as the internal pressure within the reactor increases, the seal actually tightens further onto the quartz.
Other benefits, objects, and advantages are: improved vibration resistance (the larger seal face and better clearances allow the quartz to better cope with high vibration environments), improved maintenance (easy installation—the clamp ring can be bottomed out without any risk of over compressing the seal), the wedge shape allows a larger clearance hole (in clamp ring mounting recess 5) which tolerates possible misalignment of the clamp ring (aka flange), easy extraction (the larger seal, and clearances around it, allow for easier seal removal), design of the seal face ensures optimum sealing with minimal stress on the quartz (as the internal pressure increases, the seal automatically tightens onto the quartz ensuring best possible balance between sealing and pressure on the quartz), and the invention provides a guaranteed seal in case of quartz failure (in the event of a quartz failure, the seal ensures a watertight seal).